Fellowship in Jewish Social Entrepreneurship

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Anyone who has ever interned knows that sometimes your day consists mostly of gruntwork – you might spend hours staring at spreadsheets or organizing files, yet you’re still expected to be overjoyed by the opportunity to spend time in the “big leagues.” Luckily for me, I’ve never experienced this in my current internship with Diva Communications. Not only do I get to learn from folks at the forefront of filmmaking for social justice, I’m treated like a bona fide staff-person, rather than just a lowly intern occupying a cubicle for a few months.

Thanks to The Jewish Theological Seminary’s Fellowship in Jewish Social Entrepreneurship, I have been interning with Diva Communications since September. Diva is a one-of-a-kind, unorthodox, workaholic-natured multi-media company specializing in programming, production and post-production. The staff is dedicated to solving communication puzzles through the creative use of documentaries, news, corporate presentations and new media. They raise awareness of social issues otherwise not reported on in the mainstream media – often focusing on the intersectionality of justice-centered work and faith communities.

Diva Communications just released a documentary titled “Divine Prescription.” The film documents how people of faith can bring healing and wholeness to the lives of others through ministries of health care. Though I missed the films debut while away on winter break, I returned to work this semester to help promote the film’s airing on ABC network channels around the United States.

I love interning at Diva Communication because I feel as though I have the opportunity to learn something new every time I go into the office. For example, one Wednesday I was given a long list of local stations to call and ask when “Divine Prescription” would be aired – unfortunately, like many truth-tellers, our films are often relegated to the bottom of the TV schedule and air in the middle of the night. Though this task may sound like monotonous work, it certainly was not. I practiced my persuasive communication skills and learned how to advocate with a variety of different people, and was even able to get some stations to air the documentary earlier!

I am truly thankful for the time I have spent at Diva Communications thus far. It’s been incredible to see from the ground up how we can use media to raise awareness around various justice issues and build movements to address them, especially in faith communities. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow from the staff there.

What have your intern experiences been like? Leave us a comment below!

Want to learn how to leverage your creativity for the social good? Check out the Center for Artistic Activism and Paper Tiger TV, two NYC collectives that connect social activism and artistic practice. The Human Rights Watch Film Festival premiers international films on justice issues every summer. Also great is Kids Creative, an organization started by List College alum Adam Jacobs, that offers arts-based, peace education programs to students throughout the city.